DC have announced that this month’s new “Batman/Superman” series will spiral off into six one-shots and tie-in issues in other series, showcasing the six heroes who have been infected and transformed into the worst versions of themselves by the Batman Who Laughs.
First up, we have “The Infected: King Shazam!,” written by Sina Grace with art by Joe Bennett, due out November 6. Then on November 20, we will have “The Infected: Scarab,” penned by Dennis “Hopeless” Hallum and illustrated by Freddie E. Williams II, and starring the corrupted Blue Beetle. (These comics will mark both Grace and Hallum’s first work for DC.)
Meanwhile, the Infected Hawkman and Supergirl will be showcased in their own titles: “Hawkman” #18, written by Robert Venditti with art by Pat Olliffe and Tom Palmer, and “Supergirl” #36, from writer Marc Andreyko and artists Eduardo Pansica and Julio Ferreira. Both will be released November 13.
The final two Infected heroes will star in their own one-shots in December, and their identities will be revealed in “Batman/Superman” #4, due out November 27:
Joshua Williamson and David Marquez’s “Batman/Superman” begins when issue #1 is released on August 28, and you can read a preview of the horror that unfolds when the World’s Finest uncover the identity of the Infected Shazam here.
Press release:
Corrupted by The Batman Who Laughs, Six DC Heroes
Become Nightmares for Batman and Superman
Shazam!, Hawkman, Supergirl, Blue Beetle and More
Transform Into the World’s Finest’s Worst Enemies
Sina Grace, Joe Bennett, Dennis Hopeless and Freddie Williams II
Deliver Two Spectacular November One-Shots
Robert Ventitti, Pat Olliffe, Marc Andreyko and Eduardo Pansica
Tackle Tie-Ins Revealing Infections from DC’s Dark Multiverse
Six corrupt versions of DC’s Super Heroes are coming to terrorize Earth this November and December, as DC today teased early details of a series of six comics running parallel to the story unfolding in Batman/Superman by writer Joshua Williamson and artist David Marquez. Each one-shot or tie-in special spotlights a corrupt version of Shazam!, Supergirl, Hawkman and more, known within the DC Universe as The Infected. These six issues star DC’s beloved heroes, revealed to be secretly infected by The Batman Who Laughs with a toxin that violently transforms them into the worst versions of themselves. Their buried frustrations and pent-up anger will boil to the surface, unleashing dangerous results.
Kicking off these spotlight, one-shot issues is The Infected: King Shazam! #1 on November 6th by writer Sina Grace (Iceman, Go Go Power Rangers) and artist Joe Bennett (The Terrifics, The Immortal Hulk), to be followed by The Infected: Scarab #1 on November 20th, written by Dennis “Hopeless” Hallum (Sea of Stars, The Astonishing Spider-Man) with art by Freddie E. Williams II (Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, He-Man/Thundercats). Both issues will feature covers by David Marquez and Dean White. One is a story of a hero whose soul has been turned black and who has something to prove to the old guard, the other a tale of a hero fighting the evil inside him, with his friends and family about to pay the price…and then some.
While fans got hints of The Infected in The Batman Who Laughs by Scott Snyder and Jock and have seen the brutality of a jacked-up, Dark Multiverse-infected Shazam! in previews of Batman/Superman, the scope of the deadly pathogen unleashed by The Batman Who Laughs, himself a twisted Dark Multiverse version of Bruce Wayne, has yet to be realized.
Rounding out November are The Infected tie-in issues Hawkman #18 on November 13th, written by Robert Venditti with art by Pat Olliffe and Tom Palmer, and Supergirl #36 on November 13th, written by Marc Andreyko with art by Eduardo Pansica and Julio Ferreira. Hawkman #18 cover art is by Tyler Kirkham while Supergirl #36 cover art is by Dan Mora.
Through all this, neither Superman nor Batman know who’s been infected, they don’t know who has turned, and they don’t know who’s a sleeper agent for The Batman Who Laughs. Can they even trust each other? All six of The Infected will be revealed when Batman/Superman #4 by Joshua Williamson and David Marquez, with an acetate cover by Emanuela Lupacchino, hits shelves on November 27th!
The final two victims of The Batman Who Laughs’ toxins, no spoilers here, will hit shelves with spotlight one-shot issues of their own in December 2019. Pick up The Batman Who Laughs (HC) by Scott Snyder and Jock along with Batman/Superman #1 by Joshua Williamson and David Marquez on August 28th at your local comic shop for clues to who the other two heroes turned by The Batman Who Laughs’ influence might be!
For more news and updates on the World’s Greatest Super Heroes, visit www.dccomics.com, the DC YouTube channel or follow @DCComics on social media.
